Sliding door lock



Jan. 30, 1962 J. A. WOCDWORTH ETAL SLIDING DOOR LOCK Filed Jan. 6. 1960INV ENTOR5 6 JOHN A. W00@ Woef/f R/CHARQ J. PEEVE afanes NOAH @ya 9maze-M,

A WUR/VE Y par 3,619,643 SLEDING D001?. LOCK .lohn A. Woodworth, LosAngeles, Richard .1. l'eeve,

Sylmar, and George ll. Noah, Baldwin Park, Calif., assignors, by mesneassignments, to Adams Rite Mannfacturing Company, Glendale, Calif., acorporation of California Filed lan. 6, 1960, Ser. No. 904 6 Claims.(Cl. 292-113) This invention relates to a lock for sliding door orsimilar sliding panels, Windows, etc.

The present invention is characterized by both simplicity of manufactureand safety of the mechanism in use, particularly with respect topossible damage when moving the lock to locking position.

Locks, as contemplated herein, are ordinarily carried by a slidingmember, such as a door, and are movable bodily with the door toward andaway from a jamb. The latter, in the usual way, is provided with akeeper that has a latch-receiving opening. The lock is provided with alatch that is manipulated to enter the keeper slot and have hookingengagement with the keeper to lock the door. Ideally, such manipulationmoves the latch from a retracted position to a projected lockingposition, With the door open and the latch inadvertently projected, thelatter will strike the keeper when the door is moved to lockingposition. The force with which the projected latch strikes the keeperwill determine the extent of damage to the keeper and/or latch. Repeatedaccidental striking of latch against keeper will, in time, damage thelock so the same will not operate eiciently. Frequently, one forcefulslamming of the door to locking position will cause the latch to becomebent or broken and the lock thereby damaged.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a lock fora sliding door that is eicctive to connect with a keeper to lock thedoor and, if projected when being moved to locking position, collapsesor retracts to a safe position obviating damage.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description. However, the drawing merelyshows and the following description merely describes one embodiment ofthe present invention, which is given by Way of illustration or exampleonly.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in theseveral views.

FIG. l is a vertical sectional View of a sliding door lock according tothe present invention, the lock being shown in the process of beingretracted or collapsed while striking a keeper.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the lock in collapsed position.

FIG. 3 is an edge elevational view of the lock as seen from the edgefrom which the latch thereof projects.

The present lock 5 is shown as mounted on the inner side of a door 6 andas associated with a door jamb 7 in which is provided a slot 8 thatdenes a latch keeper 9.

The lock 5 lthat is illustrated comprises, generally, a two-part housinglll, actuating means 11, controlled from the inner side of the lock, alatch member 12 movable between a projected position adapted to connectwith the keeper 9 to lock the door 6 to the jainb '7 and a retractedunlocked position, an operating lever 13 directly connected to the means11 and operatively connected to parut ficc the latch member 12 to movethe latter, upon actuation of the means 11, between locking and unlockedpositions, and a spring 14 engaged with the lever 13 to bias the same ina direction to hold the latch member projected.

The housing lo comprises a base part 15 that is adapted to be atlixed tothe door 6 by screws or bolts 16. Said part is shown with side groovesor rabbets 17 and with a face 18, between said rabbets, that is providedwith relief areas at 19 and 2i). A bearing hole 21 is formed in saidpart 15. Along the side edge that is placed to be flush with the edge ofthe door 6, said base part is provided with a projection 22 that extendsabove the plane of face 18.

The housing 1t) comprises also a housing part 23 that is connected tothe base part 15, as by screws or bolts 24. Said part 23 is formed byside wall 25, edge walls 26 and 27, and end walls 28 and 29 to define aninterior space 3@ that is closed by the base part 15 when the open sideof said part 23 is placed in position with the edges of walls 26 and 27in the rabbets 17. The side Wall 25 is formed to have a bearing hole 31lthat is4 aligned with the hole 21 in the base part 15, and the edgeWall 26 is formed to have an opening 32 into which the projection 22extends to narrow the opening 32 to latch-accommodating size, as canbest be seen from FIG. 3. The wall 28 is shown with a seat 33 foraccommodating the spring 14.

The actuating means 12 is Shown as two somewhat similar arms 34 and 35each of which is provided with a hub or boss that has bearing in therespective holes 21 and 31 so as to be rotational on the axis formed bysaid aligned holes 21 and 31. The boss of arm 35 is provided with ahandle 36 by means or" which said latter arm may be turned from theinner side of the door.

The arm 34 may be omitted without affecting the operation of theactuating means from the inside. When used, said arm 34 through its bossmay be manipulated, by a tool of key-like form, from the outside. Saidactuating arms 34 and 35 are each provided with a hole 37 receptive ofthe ends of a pin 38. It will be seen that the arms 34 and 35 movetogether because connected by the pin 38 and that such movement may benormally effected by turning the handle 36 or by a key engaged with theboss of arm 34.

The latch member l2 comprises a preferably at piece formed to have abody part 39 `and a hook part 40. The latter part is adapted .to enterthe slot 3 of the jamb 7 and hookingly engage the keeper. The body part39 is formed to have a slot 41 that preferably extends in a generallytransverse direction when the latch member is in locking position. Across pin 42 extends between the base part 15 and the wall 25 of thehousing part 23, the same passing through said slot 41. It will be clearthat the latch member is capable of translatory movement on the pin aslimited by the length of the slot 41, and rotational or pivotal movementaround said pin. The hook part 4t? moves in housing opening 32 betweenretracted and projected positions. Above and beyond the slot 41, thebody part 39 of the latch member is provided with a hole for aconnection pin 43.

The operating lever 13 is shown as an elongated member that has an end44 that is pivotally connected to the latch body part by the pin 43, andan end 45 that is formed with a toe to engage against the: wall 26 andserves as a fulcrum around which said lever is adapted to pivot.Intermediate its ends, the lever 13 is provided with the mentioned crosspin 33 that connects with the arms 34 and 35.

The spring 14 is disposed in the seat 33 and has a rcsilient arm 46 thatengages the operating lever 13 so as to bias the same in a direction toretract the latch member 12.

FIG. 2 shows the normal retracted position of the latch member 12, thearm 34 or 35, as the case may be, having been rotated or turned tobodily raise the lever 33, thereby moving the pivot 43 upwardly andcausing the latch member 12 to assume a tilted or angled position withthe pin 42 engaged with the forward end of slot 41 and with the hookportion 4t# retracted inwardly of opening 32. The spring arm 46 holdsthis retracted position, since the same urges the upper end of lever 13against the cross pin 42.

By turning the handle 36 or a key engaged with the boss of arm 34, thearms 3'4 and 35 are moved downwardly causing the lever 13 to be movedbodily downwardly. The lever end 44 causes the latch member 12 to swingfrom the retracted position of FIG. 2 to the full line position of FIG.l, the movement being around the pin 42 to bring the hook part 4h intolocking engagement with the keeper 9. lt will be seen that the movementof member 12 is a compound one-around the pin 42 and forwardly on saidpin until the latter engages the rear end of slot 41.

The above movement of the lever 13 brings the toe end 45 of said leverinto bearing engagement with wall 26. The fulcrurn provided by suchengagement, together with the bias of spring arm 46, maintains themechanism in locking position (the full line position of FIG. l).

Since the arms 34 and 35 have their ends straight down or nearly so, anyforce tending to depress the hook portion 40 and to rock the same toreleased position would be resisted by the inability of the resultantupward force on the lever 13 to turn the arms 34 and 35 and causerelease of the mechanism. However, when the hook portion 40 is shiftedto the dot-dash line position of FIG'. I, by the jamb 7, the resultanttranslatory movement of the latch member tilts the lever 13 on itsfulcrum toe 45. Thepin 3S on the lever` rocks arms 34 and 3S while theend 44 of the lever is now moved so the pivot 43 is' a greater distancefrom the pin 42 than before. As a consequence, the force imposed by thejamb on the sloping edge of the hook portion 40 urges the hook member torock on the pin to assume the retracted position of FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 shows that the pin 42, the axis of the bearings 2li and' 31, andthe pin 38 are substantially aligned in the locking position of themechanism. Only by retracting the latch member 12 to the dot-dash lineposition or by' turning oneA or the other of arms 34 or 35, can thisdead-center position be changed so that the latch member is retracted.

WhileI the foregoing specification illustrates and describes what we nowcontemplate to be the best mode of carrying out our invention, theconstruction is, of course, subject to modication without departing fromthe spirit and scope of our invention. Therefore, we do not desire torestrict the invention to the particular form of constructionillustrated and described, but desire to cover all modifications thatmayfall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1'. A lock of the character described comprising a housing, a cross pinfixed in said housing, a latch member having a slot through which saidpin extends and is movable on said pin both rotationally and in atranslatory path along the length of the slot, actuating means includingan operating arm and carried by said housing on an axis of rotation, alever connecting the arm of the later means and the latch member, aspring biasing the lever and the latch member to projected latchingposition with the cross pin engaged with one end of the slot in saidmember and the axis of the actuatiing means in substantial dead-centerarrangement with said pin and with the connection between the lever andthe arm of the actuating means, said latch member when shifted on saidpin and along the slot therein retracting "rom its projected position,and an end on the lever engaged with the housing to constitute a fulcrumon which the lever tilts to move the arm connected thereto to shift theconnection to offset relation to the mentioned axis and therebyreleasing the latch member ot tilt to fully retracted position.

2. A lock according to claim 1 in which the latch member is formed tohave a hook portion adapted to have locking engagement with a keeper,the hook portion having a sloping edge adapted to be struck by suchkeeper to first move the latch member in its translatory path and thenrotate the latch member around the cross pin to retracted position.

.3. In a lock of the character described, a latch member comprising ahook portion and a body portion, said latter portion havinry a slottherein extending in a direction toward the hook portion, a iixed pivotpin extending through said slot, spring means biasing the latch memberto project the hook portion thereof as limited by one end of said slot,manually operable latch actuating means including parts movable into aposition to lock the latch member against rotation around said pin whenthe same is projected, said latch member being movable retractivel;against the bias of said spring means within the limits of said slot tomove said parts from said locked position and release the latch memberto pivot on said fixed pin to fully retracted position.

4. In a lock according to claim 3, a sloping edge on the hook portion ofthe latch member that, when struck by a keeper is cammed to thementioned fully retracted position.

5. In a lock of the character described, a latch member comprising ahook portion and a body portion, said latter portion having a slottherein extending in a di rection toward the hooked portion, a ixedpivot pin extending through said slot, spring means biasing the latchmember to project the hook portion thereof as limited by one end of saidslot, a pivot end on the latch member on the body portion thereof, latchactuating means including a lever connected to said pivot end, and meansto lock said lever to hold the latch member projected, said latch memberbeing movable retractively against the bias of said spring means withinthe limits of said slot to release the latch member locking means, andmeans enabling the retracted latch member to pivot on said xed pin tofully retracted position.

6. In a lock according to claim 5, an edge of said lever adjacent itsconnection with the pivot end of the latch member being engaged with thefixed pin in said fully retracted position.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS l l l

